In September 1996, Monica Shea, a Biogen employee, was working in her U.S. Navy squadron when she received a call from her mother with terrible news: her father had taken his own life. Heartbroken and shocked she made arrangements to fly home. Her father’s note provided no answers but was “more of an apology that he had given up,” she said.
Monica’s mother explained that her father had struggled with depression for years, so she wasn’t surprised this happened. “She and my dad divorced when I was a kid, and she said his depression had been a part of that decision. I knew none of this, and I felt guilty that I was in my twenties and completely unaware,” Monica said.
Looking back, Monica realized that all the signs were there: He always had a difficult time holding a job, wasn't really motivated and seemed apathetic about most things. Her parents’ divorce when she was young also meant that she didn’t see her father as much so was more removed from his struggles. It was only after his death that Monica discovered that several of his family members also suffered from mental illness. “I think it was a sign of the times and sort of that hush hush stigma of mental illness. And people just didn't talk about it, or they ignored it," she said.
In fact, research shows that social and cultural stigma affects an individual’s ability to initially recognize a mental health problem, which can prevent or delay people from seeking help, or starting or continuing treatment.1,2
Lawrence (Larry) Park, M.D., Medical Director, Clinical Development, Neuropsychiatry at Biogen and a practicing psychiatrist, has seen the burden of the stigma associated with depression firsthand in many of his patients. “There’s a fair amount of stigma both in families as well as the patients themselves about having been diagnosed with major depression that's unwarranted and needs to be lifted,” he said.
Lawrence Park, M.D.
Neuropsychiatry Clinical Development at Biogen
Larry explains that people with depression lose interest in the things they once enjoyed and may experience feelings of guilt or worthlessness. “These feelings, when they mount, can lend people to have thoughts of suicidality, and potentially, impulses to act on those thoughts.” Larry also says that depression can run in families. “If you have family members that have depression or if you personally have had episodes of depression in the past, then you're more likely to be depressed again in the future.”
When Monica’s uncle, Patrick, opened up about his struggles with depression, she was hopeful that she could provide him with the support he needed and “prevent history from repeating itself.” She and Patrick were close in age and shared a special bond. “He was very open about it. And I think my dad's death brought us even closer together because of their shared diagnosis. We would talk about it all the time.” However, she remembers feeling frustrated at times and unable to understand why Patrick would get stuck in a bad place.